The First Step
by 0mn1sage
Summary: Entei and world leaders decided to cooperate against an alien invasion. However, humans are known to be cunning and abused the cooperation pact. But that is about to change as humans take sides.


Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon but I do own OCs, (Other Characters).

 **Prologue**

"Humans! We do not normally cooperate with you because you treat us as inferior beings. But to save Pokemon kind, we will agree with your plans, for now." Entei's voice echoed like a God in the clouds.

The human world leaders gathered on a volcanic island where Entei lives. Humanity and Pokemon were invaded by aliens that called themselves Orcs. They had the head of wild boars but everything else like human features. Pokemon are turning into stone and humans suffocate to death from Orcdoom, a virus released onto the world by the Orcs as their method of invasion. From then on, teams of six pokemon are assigned to follow each human to fight off the Orcs. Humans devised their cunning strategies while Pokemon used their natural powers. From then on, the sport of Pokemon battle came to existence to celebrate victory against the Orcs.

After the Orcs are defeated, Entei planned to end the cooperation between humans and Pokemon. Pokemon missed their human and planned to live with the human forever. The majority of humans accepted Pokemon. The sport of Pokemon battle were never a fight to the death but just a sparring match similar to human boxing. Human judges have the power to end the battle before it becomes life threatening.

However, not all humans have good intentions. Some pokemon are captured and enslaved for human benefits. There are forbidden underground tournaments of death matches and Pokemon slave trades. But...one day a group of pioneers will banish the underground world forever...

Chapter 1

"Get up Terry! Time to make our breakfast!" Uncle Mitchel shook Terry out of his sleep during 6am in the morning. "Remember, without us, you'll be on the streets or even dead!"

"Pikachu! Don't!" Terry's Pikachu bit Uncle Mitchel before Terry could stop him.

Uncle Mitchel slapped Terry in return.

Terry groans. He has heard that phrase so many times. He quickly got up, did his morning routine and prepared breakfast for the family. Pikachu stayed next to Terry to give him a little jolt whenever he dozes off. Electrike, the house pokemon enforces Terry and Pikachu.

Cousin Kevin and Auntie Margaret woke. By the time they finished and got dressed, Terry had finished setting up their table. There are four bowls and two cereal boxes.

"You have gotten lazy haven't you? Mitchel snarled at Terry.

"You said you don't want pancakes so I decided to have something we haven't eaten for a long time."

"Now I want pancakes!" Kevin smirked.

Terry glared at Kevin.

"You heard him boy! Do it or we'll ditch you on the streets."

Pikachu growled at Uncle Mitchel. Electrike stood in front of Pikachu to defend Uncle Mitchel.

"Pikachu, it's okay. It's not a big deal."

"Be fortunate that we kept you and didn't end up like your parents died from a car accident when begging on the street."

"Yes, ma'am," Terry mumbled reluctantly.

Terry prepared pancakes by baking them and pouring syrup on top of it. The parents of the family ate but Kevin rushed to school. When Terry saw Kevin rush, he rushed to school too.

"Come back here, and wash the dishes!" Auntie Margaret yelled.

"I'll deal with it when I come back!" Terry replied. The pikachu followed Terry.

"You better or else we'll abandon you!"

Auntie Margaret and Uncle Mitchel's words were true. There was once Terry refused to do his cousin's bidding and was kicked out of the house. Fortunately, the weather was in between turning from Spring to Summer. Terry just found a half eaten box of fried rice and just munched on it hungrily with the discarded spoon.

He stopped in the middle of his meal when he heard whimpers from the back alley. Terry went to look at the source of the whimpers and found an injured Pikachu. He fed the Pikachu with the same fried rice he was eating and kept him close to his chest for warmth.

"You're like me aren't you? I was abandoned too."

The Pikachu was too weak to respond but whimper.

"You need first aid right away. I guess, I'll return."

Terry's anger has diminished when he saw that Pikachu so he returned to the house to apologize to his cousin.

"Please let Pikachu stay. I'll continue to do the chores without complaining," Terry kneeled and bowed in front of the family.

The Pikachu always defended Terry so the family brought an Electrike to counter the Pikachu.

The only bliss in school is to be away from his cousins. He basically fell asleep every class because he had no time for homework except chores every day. His cousins simply do not care about Terry as long as he does house chores. The classmates threw spitballs and paper planes as the teacher spoke. Every day is the same. Sleep and then work.

The bell rang and the next class starts. The mumbling of the student body could be heard. A group of boys and girls whispered to each other, glancing at Terry on purpose.

"Hmph! What a loser!"

"I heard he is being bullied; he is probably a wimp too."

Terry pretended to ignore the hurtful words and went past them to next class. He runs into Kevin. Three of his goons are with him.

One of the goons clicked his tongue and waved his index finger. Kevin cracked his knuckles, and smirked.

Terry swallowed. He tried to concentrate but his mind is filled with Kevin's threats. During after school, Kevin did wait for Terry.

Terry tried to run but the goons blocked him.

"Pikachu!"

"Your Pikachu won't do you good this time!" Kevin's goon showed a captured Pikachu.

"Why you!" Terry tried to free Pikachu but Kevin kicked him in the gut.

The other goon punched Terry. Terry curled in pain and wiped the blood of his broken nose.

"You're only picking on me. Leave Pikachu out of this!" Terry yelled.

A Nidoking jumped on the goons. A girl came out of nowhere and applied aid for Terry. "Come on, they're big but they aren't even strong."

"What did you say?!" Kevin was about to punch the girl but she counters him by kicking his face.

The other goons put down the Pikachu cage and attacked. The girl didn't even use her hands but took them all down with legs.

"Wow, amazing..." Terry said and fainted.

"Hey! Hold yourself together!" the girl said to Terry.

Terry woke up after a slamming sound. He opened his eyes to see people punching and kicking sandbags. Pokemon running on treadmills and a Primeape doing practice jabs with a trainer. Terry fascinatingly looked around. The Primeape glanced away from his trainer to Terry. The trainer turned around and saw Terry,

"Azu, he's awake."

The same girl that saved Terry walked across the gym. She then sat next to him.

"You're awake. Good, I have questions to ask you. Where did you get that Pikachu? Answer wisely. The answer decides if I should turn you to the cops."

"What? Why? I didn't do anything wrong! Pikachu was injured when I found him. I simply took him home to nurse him back to health."

"Pikachu!" Azu called.

"What?" Terry was surprised when Pikachu replied.

Pikachu immediately came to Terry's defense. Pikachu spoke like "Pika, Pika" but it seems like he spoke some type of language only Azu half understands. Pikachu ran and turned back as if to follow him. He led Terry and Azu to an office with photos of a happy family inside frames. One of the photos showed a Pikachu snuggling with a baby. Pikachu stood next to that standing frame. Pikachu then climbed to Terry's shoulder and pointed at the photo again.

Azu picked up the standing frame.

"That can't be possible. I am an orphan and my parents are beggars that died in a car accident."

"Pokemon has a strong sense of recognition either through sight, sound or smell. That baby has to be you. Terry, our parents neither died from a car accident nor are beggars. They are elite pokemon trainers who fought on the front lines against Team Rocket!"

Terry became silent; tears erupted from his eyes. He never mentioned his name to her and yet she knew him. He looked down on the floor, "they lied to me all this time."

"Wha—who do you live with now?"

"I live with my Aunt Margaret, Cousin Kevin and Uncle Mitchel."

"I see. They never liked our mother to begin with. I don't know how you ended up with them. But I am glad to have you back, brother," Azu put her hand on Terry's shoulder. "You haven't been to a pokemon gym before?" Azu changed the topic to avoid more sappiness.

"No, I haven't." Terry stood up and walked away. "I need some time. Everything is going too fast."

"Where are you going?"

"I am going to my Cousins and ask them why they lied," he left.

"Wait—

Pikachu followed Terry out of the gym as Terry ran.

Terry pushed open the door.

The cousins are sitting on the dinner table with ordered food.

"Where have you been? How dare you leave without getting your chores done! And what's with your attitude today?!"

"WHY did you lie about my parents?"

Aunt Margaret bit her lip so Uncle Mitchel took over. "Don't go changing the topic young man! I could forgive what you said if you do your chores for us."

"That's enough! Do your own chores! I am not your slave! Tonight, I came here to say good bye. I am packing!" Terry yelled and then went to the basement, the junk bin and his bedroom.

"Challenging us, are you? Then, don't come back begging!"

Terry packed his schoolbag and clothes. When he is done packing, he dragged the luggage up the stairs to hear someone other than his cousins talking at the living room.

"I think it's better to confess everything and I will reconsider letting go of Kevin and turning you in to the cops for child neglect."

"Okay, Okay! You win! We'll spill everything. Just let our baby go! Someone left Terry on the doorstep when he was an infant one night with a note to keep him invisible." Auntie Margaret said.

"We plan to throw him away but that will only attract cops so we decided to keep him as a slave. We thought he won't speak up about us as long as we're his only family. Without us he has nowhere to go," Uncle Mitchel added.

Terry appeared from the basement door and saw Azu holding Kevin's neck with her hand. Auntie and Uncle were on the floor. Azu's face was fierce but smiled when Terry saw her.

"You all done? Let's get out of here," Azu let Kevin go but Kevin tried to attack Azu. In a few quick movements, Azu pinned Kevin to the ground.

Together they left the cousins.

Chapter 2

Terry woke up to find Azu making breakfast. He felt strange about the new transition. Now he lives in the same apartment above the pokemon gym as Azu. Azu sleeps inside the bedroom while Terry sleeps on the sofa.

"Rise and shine. Shouldn't you be in school by now?"

Terry hid under his covers.

"No, you are NOT skipping school. Get up! Or do I have to dress you—

Terry shot out of the sofa like a rocket. He quickly dressed and stopped at the kitchen table.

"That's better."

"Geez, you're a girl! Be aware of male privacy!" Terry blushed.

"Even if you're late, you're going to school. This is for your own good."

"Why should I? Nobody cares anyway. I'll get bullied, fail and become a dropout."

"Then what?"

Terry became speechless.

"If you want someone to care, you got to earn respect among people first. Once you have skills they can't look down on you. You do that by working hard and stare at adversity in the face."

"Okay...I'll go to school. But I have a request."

"What is it?"

"I need a mentor and a tutor. The chores I have been doing for my cousins took too much energy from me. I got depressed and almost slept in every class. I need to catch up."

Azu smiled, "Haste doesn't help the situation, take it slowly and keep that motivation. I'll do the chores and cover the expenses. You do good in school, okay?"

"Deal."

Terry organized himself very well. Everyday after school, he goes to the Kaplan Tutoring center. Azu even helped organized a tutor for him.

Whenever Kevin and the goons chased him, Pikachu uses thunder wave on them for temporary paralysis.

"Damn, how come this isn't working!" Terry punched the sofa with a frustrated C+ on his test.

Azu picked up the paper, "Not bad. That's an improvement. Remember, haste doesn't help the situation, take it slowly and keep that motivation."

Terry nodded and returned to his schoolwork. During the summer he did extra homework to help his Writing, Reading, Math, Science and Social Studies. Azu taught him fitness lessons after tutoring. Terry's grades and mood towards life improved in one year.


End file.
